Back in 2014, I was pretty hard on the first Ride Along and only gave it a mere 4.5/10. Kevin Hart was the film’s saving grace. Thankfully, Ride Along 2 adds Ken Jeong and Olivia Munn to the supporting cast to add some extra comedic flair to a film that ends up being a pretty fun sequel, as long as you haven’t seen the trailers (assuming they show all the best jokes).
Fresh out of the academy and soon to be married, Ben (Kevin Hart) is invited by his soon-to-be Brother in-law James (Ice Cube) to with him to Miami and question a potential witness, A.J. (Jeong), for a drug case they’re working on in Atlanta. One thing leads to another and soon the brothers find themselves entangled in a much larger operation, teaming up with the no non-sense Miami detective, Maya (Munn), in an attempt to chop off the head of the Miami snake.
Ride Along 2 was mindless “buddy” cop fun. Kevin Hart once again steals the show with his over-the-top antics and Ken Jeong does a great job supplementing it with his ridiculous hacker character. The two have some great chemistry and since they’re both geeks in the film, watching them go overboard with their volume and similar interests is an entertaining treat for viewers. I emphasize this point because I feel many people have grown tired of Kevin Hart’s acting style. Cube on the other hand plays the same tough detective role you see him play in most of his movies. Not much to say about him.
One thing I have to insist on is seeing the first film just so you can truly appreciate the dynamic between James and Ben but, more importantly, so you understand Ben’s personality exactly. It’ll make you appreciate a good amount of the jokes in the sequel a lot more.
I have to give props go to the screenwriting team for giving Ice Cube a female counterpart that could go toe-to-toe with him on screen. Munn was wonderful as a hard-ass and Cube’s potential love interest. Director Tim Story wasn’t the most subtle in teasing the potential romance but he was good enough as a director to not let it escalate aggressively. The story had a clever way to make sure one or the other had to break down their emotional barrier in order to make a move.
Is Ride Along 2 a movie where you should spend $12-$15 for a ticket? No, you can easily wait to see this at home, it’s not a must-see. That being said, I do think it’d be a great movie to see in theaters with your friend or on a date. Even if the story plays out how you might expect, there are plenty of original and well liked-regurgitated jokes that should prove for a fun time at the movies.
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